Tag: Cleveland Browns practice squad

Browns activate Karl Joseph, sign OL in a flurry of roster moves

The Browns were busy restocking the active roster on Saturday

Cleveland was a busy football team on Saturday. The Browns made a series of roster moves to bolster the team in advance of Sunday’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Foremost among the moves is the official activation of safety Karl Joseph from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Joseph was a close contact of a positive test earlier in the week, and the veteran safety cleared protocols in time for the game.

There is also a new addition to the roster. The Browns signed offensive lineman Blake Hance from the New York Jets practice squad. Hance is in his second NFL season, though he has not yet played in a regular-season game. He spent time in his rookie season with Washington, where he played under Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan. He played tackle at Northwestern in college but has also spent time at guard in his NFL stops.

The Browns also elevated three players from the practice squad to the active roster. Offensive tackle Alex Taylor, LB Montrel Meander and offensive guard Cordel Igwuagwu were all elevated for the game. Igwuagwu was a standard elevation, while Taylor and Meander were both designated as COVID-19 replacement players.

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Browns elevate OL Michael Dunn from the practice squad

This is Dunn’s second time with a standard elevation

The Cleveland Browns elevated offensive lineman Michael Dunn from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday night’s matchup with the New York Giants.

Dunn will fill in the opening along the line with starting right guard Wyatt Teller ruled out with an ankle injury. Veteran Chris Hubbard will start in place of Teller, which opens the door for Dunn to step up as depth. Like Hubbard, Dunn is capable of playing both tackle and guard.

This is the second time Dunn has been elevated to the active roster for game day. He also played up in Week 9. In Week 11, Dunn was elevated as a COVID-19 replacement, which doesn’t count against his promotion opportunities.

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Browns elevate WR Ja’Marcus Bradley from the practice squad

Bradley played 11 snaps against the Titans in his NFL debut

Ja’Marcus Bradley will once again dress for the Cleveland Browns in the Week 14 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. Bradley has been elevated up from the practice squad.

It’s the second week in a row for the wide receiver to earn the game-day promotion to the active roster. Bradley played 11 snaps on offense in the Browns’ win over Tennessee in Week 13. That was the NFL debut for the undrafted free agent wideout from Louisiana.

The Browns are still in need of depth at wide receiver due to injuries. Bradley will revert back to the practice squad after the game, and this is the last time he can be promoted unless he’s being used as a COVID-19 replacement.

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Browns practice squad protection and elevation tracker

Tracking who has been protected week by week and also the practice squad elevations for game days

The Browns have protected the same four players on the practice squad for Week 14 as they did in Week 13. And Week 12.

So rather than just regurgitate the protection status for the third week in a row, I thought we’d go back and look at how the Browns have used the protected practice squad status this year. The practice squad elevations for game day are also tracked here. Each player can be elevated from the practice squad to the active gameday roster twice, though players elevated as designated COVID-19 replacements can be used more than just twice.

Week 1

Protected

  • QB Garrett Gilbert
  • S Jovante Moffatt
  • PK Cody Parkey
  • OT Greg Senat

Elevated – CB Robert Jackson

Week 2

Protected

  • QB Garrett Gilbert
  • OT Greg Senat

Elevated – LB Montrel Meander

Week 3 

Protected

  • QB Garrett Gilbert
  • OT Greg Senat
  • RB Dontrell Hilliard
  • PK Matt McCrane

Elevated – CB A.J. Green

Week 4

Protected

  • Garrett Gilbert
  • Greg Senat
  • Matt McCrane
  • DL Joey Ivie

Week 5

The Cowboys signed Senat in the period before he could be protected this week.

Protected

  • Garrett Gilbert
  • Matt McCrane
  • Joey Ivie

Elevated – Joey Ivie

Week 6

The Cowboys struck again, signing Gilbert away in the period before players could be protected.

Protected

  • S Elijah Benton
  • DT Joey Ivie
  • RB John Kelly
  • PK Matt McCrane

Elevated – Elijah Benton

Week 7

There was no record of the Browns protecting any players in Week 7

Week 8

Protected

  • RB John Kelly
  • QB Kyle Lauletta
  • DE Cameron Malveaux
  • PK Matthew McCrane

Week 9

Protected

  • QB Kyle Lauletta
  • DE Cameron Malveaux
  • PK Matt McCrane
  • OT Alex Taylor

Elevated – OT Michael Dunn

Week 11

Protected

  • QB Kyle Lauletta
  • DE Cameron Malveaux
  • PK Matt McCrane
  • OT Alex Taylor

Elevated as COVID-19 replacements – Dunn and Malveaux

Elevated – FB Johnny Stanton

Week 12

Protected

  • OT Michael Dunn
  • QB Kyle Lauletta
  • PK Matt McCrane
  • OT Alex Taylor

Elevated as COVID-19 replacement – Dunn, Ivie, Malveaux

Week 13 

Protected

  • OT Michael Dunn
  • QB Kyle Lauletta
  • PK Matt McCrane
  • OT Alex Taylor

Elevated – WR Ja’Marcus Bradley

Week 14

Protected

  • OT Michael Dunn
  • QB Kyle Lauletta
  • PK Matt McCrane
  • OT Alex Taylor

 

 

 

Browns add DE Jamal Davis to the practice squad

Browns add DE Jamal Davis to the practice squad

The Browns filled the vacancy on the team’s practice squad on Wednesday by signing defensive end Jamal Davis to the squad.

Davis tried out for the team over the weekend. The EDGE is in his second NFL season out of Akron. Davis spent time with the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins as a rookie. He did get into three games with the Dolphins, playing 12 snaps on defense and four on special teams.

Davis is more of an outside linebacker-type of EDGE at a long-levered 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds. He is a Canton native, and his familiarity with this week’s opponent is not overlooked.

The Browns created the space for Davis by releasing CB Stephen Denmark on Tuesday.

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Browns sign WR Derrick Willies to the practice squad

Willies played for the Browns as an undrafted rookie in 2018

Days after working him out, the Cleveland Browns officially welcomed wide receiver Derrick Willies back to the Dawg Pound on Monday. The team signed the wide receiver to the practice squad.

Willies played for the Browns in 2018, making the team as an undrafted rookie out of Texas Tech. At 6-foot-4, he brought size and some playmaking sizzle to the Browns. Willies played in five games as a rookie and hauled in three catches for 61 yards before going on injured reserve.

He failed to make the active roster in 2019, instead spending the season on the Browns’ practice squad. The 26-year-old has not been on any other team’s active roster.

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Browns protect some new faces on the practice squad

The 4 players cannot be signed by another team until Monday

The Browns got back to protecting the full allotment of four players on the team’s practice squad in advance of Week 8. After losing a couple of players who were previously protected in prior weeks, keeping any players from getting poached off the practice squad is a good idea for Cleveland.

This week the Browns protected two familiar names and two new ones:

  • RB John Kelly
  • QB Kyle Lauletta
  • DE Cameron Malveaux
  • PK Matthew McCrane

McCrane and Kelly have been protected before. Malveaux and Lauletta have been newer additions to the practice squad. Lauletta is the team’s No. 3 quarterback after the team lost Garrett Gilbert to the Cowboys two weeks ago.

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Browns sign rookie OT Alex Taylor back to the practice squad

Taylor comes back after being waived off I.R. in September

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The Cleveland Browns welcomed back a familiar face to the team’s practice squad on Monday. The Browns signed offensive tackle to the practice squad after working him out late last week.

Taylor is an undrafted rookie from South Carolina State who was originally signed right after the draft by the Browns. He was one of the team’s more celebrated UDFAs, but he suffered an injury in training camp. Taylor was waived off injured reserve in September.

With Taylor’s return, the Browns now have a full 16-member practice squad. He joins Timon Parris as developmental offensive tackle prospects on the reserve group.

 

 

Browns add rookie CB Prince Smith to the practice squad

Smith has been with the Eagles and Giants in 2020

The Cleveland Browns announced on Tuesday that the team has added cornerback Prince Smith to the practice squad, effective immediately. Smith fills the one vacancy on the practice squad held over from last week

Smith is a 5-10 rookie from New Hampshire. He originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles. Smith also bounced into practice squad duty with the New York Giants.

At New Hampshire, Smith was known for his positional versatility and his competitiveness. He comes from a press-man coverage background and has played both outside and in the slot.

No word yet on what jersey number Smith will wear in Cleveland.

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Browns add QB Kyle Lauletta to the practice squad

The Browns were down to just two QBs

Faced with a short roster after losing QB Garrett Gilbert earlier this week, the Cleveland Browns signed another quarterback to the practice squad. The Browns added QB Kyle Lauletta to the practice squad for Friday’s session in Berea.

Lauletta was a fourth-round pick by the New York Giants in 2018 after a stellar career at Richmond. He has bounced from the Giants to the Eagles and most recently the Atlanta Falcons before coming to Cleveland.

With Baker Mayfield nursing sore ribs in advance of Sunday’s AFC North showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers, adding Lauletta gives the Browns another QB alongside Case Keenum to operate the practices.

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